The only film written by iconic actress Norma Aleandro, and the only feature film directed by David Stivel, _Los herederos_ is a rare bird. Released the same year as Raúl de la Torre's _Juan Lamaglia y Sra._ and Néstor Paternostro's _Mosaico_, it deserves at least as much recognition as these masterpieces of Argentinean cinema.
As the film begins, María Concepción (Aleandro), Juan José (Emilio Alfaro), and María Isabel (Marilina Ross) move into the huge, old, and decaying house they have just inherited. (The women are sisters, and Juan José is their cousin.) María Concepción's lover Carlos (Federico Luppi), Juan José's wife Estela (Bárbara Mujica), and Carlos' friend Raúl (Carlos Carella) complete the picture. The film is quite simply about these six people living in the same house. They are all waiting on the house--a white elephant if there ever was one--to be sold in order to have some money.
The acting is superb, which comes as no surprise when one considers the names involved. The mise-en-scène is equally effective. As in the house of Usher, the state of the building mirrors the lives of the inhabitants, who illustrate the famous line from Jean Paul Sartre's play _No Exit_ that I chose as the title for this review. I also hear echoes of Tennessee Williams. Jealousy, frustration, abuse, and sexual tension make up the film's atmosphere. _Los herederos_, in fact, foreshadows the films of Jorge Polaco, _Diapasón_ (1986) and _Kindergarten_ (1989) in particular, though, needless to say, Polaco would take things much farther. Madness is Polaco's province, and there's a hint of it in _Los herederos_, for instance, when Carlos paints his legs and torso with lipstick, then smears cream all over himself, and finally runs to the shower. This has got to be the most tormented character Luppi ever played.
_Los herederos_ is dark, atmospheric, and oppressive. All scenes take place in the house. The implication is that, even though the characters may leave, they are still trapped (look at the film's poster). The reference to Buñuel need hardly be mentioned. _Los herederos_ is a hidden gem.
